Teen Follows His Dream of Opening Skateboard Shop

(Rochester Democrat and Chronicle) — Starting Black Smith Skate Shop wasn’t exactly what Denard Smith, 17, was expecting. “I thought it would be a lot more retail and less spreadsheets and doing taxes and whatnot,” said Smith, an enthusiastic skateboarder who sells a line of skateboards, T-shirts, wheels and bearings. But all the paperwork hasn’t discouraged the Greece Olympia senior from opening his business with the help of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, a program that has helped students in grades six through 12 open more than 200 businesses. Through YEA, students learn how to make a business plan, file appropriate paperwork with the county clerk, listen to advice from local entrepreneurs, go on field trips and eventually pitch business proposals to a panel of potential investors.